AGC : 2020 Blue Planet Prize Commendation Special Site Released

■ 2020 Blue Planet Prize Commendation Special Site URL

(Main content)
・Special video interviews with the two laureates, Prof. David Tilman and Dr. Simon Stuart.
・A message from the Chairman of the Foundation
・An introduction of the Blue Planet Prize by Presentation Committee Chairman Dr. Hiroyuki Yoshikawa
・A message from Imperial Highness Crown Prince Akishino
・Congratulatory messages from Prime Minister Suga, Minister of the Environment Koizumi, and the US and UK Ambassadors to Japan on behalf of the laureates' home countries

In his interview, Professor David Tilman discusses the importance of biodiversity, people's dietary habits, health and environmental issues, and the environmental impact of agriculture. Dr. Simon Stuart discusses the background to the IUCN Red List's development and the role of each country's Red List, as well as the challenges encountered in developing new categories and criteria. Please visit the special webpage to view the interviews, which convey the earnest desire of the two laureates to resolve increasingly severe global environmental issues.

The 'Blue Planet Prize' was established by the Foundation in 1992, the year the Earth Summit was held, with the aim of restoring the global environment. Two recipients who have made significant contributions to resolving global environmental problems are chosen annually and presented with a commemorative trophy and a supplementary prize of 50 million Japanese yen. The prize's name was inspired by the remark 'the Earth is blue,' uttered by the first human in space, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, upon viewing our planet. The prize was so named in the hope that our blue planet will be a shared asset capable of sustaining human life far into the future.